Building some tie to Bill of Rights preserved, but with caveats

(Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County) — Supervisors in a midstate township faced a tough choice last night.

Do you change the zoning on property near a park to allow for a large warehouse as a trade off to preserve a historic site?

Or do you vote to stop the warehouse but also potentially doom Captain Bell’s Tavern to demolition?

And in the end, supervisors in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County allowed the warehouse plan to go forward, on a 3-2 vote.

That means Captain Bell’s Tavern is closer to getting preserved.

Historians believe the tavern is linked to the creation of the U.S. Bill of Rights, but it had been partially demolished before some discovered the connection.

Brian Mains, the 5th great grandson of Captain James Bell, says the significance of the space can’t be overstated.

“It’s not just about historical preservation. The history of that building and what took place at that conference there, as I’m sure has been discussed before, is not just history, it’s the fabric of this nation,” says Mains.

Resident Randy Heischman says the warehouse trade-off is worth it.

He adds: “We’ve had a building now that’s survived 230 years. The warehouses aren’t going to last one-third of that. You tear this building down, it’s gone forever. You tear a warehouse down, who cares? It goes right back to green space, development, however you want to use it.”

Developer Triple Crown says it will turn over Captain Bell’s Tavern once the township approves the rezoning and land plan for a new warehouse on a separate property.

Triple Crown is also donating a $100,000 towards the Tavern restoration, which is expected to cost at least $500,000.